I Work Alone
by Aquade
Summary: When the NPTA (National Penguin Team Association) issues that all solo agents be joined in with other teams, the penguins are left with Nathan, a sarcastic penguin with a past. Can they work together? Or will everything fail miserably?
1. 1 Dr Blowhole

**Author's Note: My first publication on fanfiction. Hope you enjoy it!**

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The moon shone its rays over the treetops, lighting up my way. The forest was silent, except for the sound of my beating heart, which I hoped only I could hear. This was a suicide mission; it was either do or die. If I defeated Blowhole, I would finally get my revenge. On the other hand, if I lost, I would not have long to live.

I almost jumped out of my feathers when an owl screamed at me to get out of his territory. I think that it was afraid that I was stealing his mice. If I were he, I would not worry; I had sworn never to eat mice again unless it was a dire emergency.

Have you ever eaten a mouse before? Let me tell you, it tastes like monkey spit. Even worse, the mouse wiggles inside your beak until you crush it. I cannot even think about it anymore. It is just like reliving horrible memories.

It was time to roll. I slid over to the side of the shed. Listening carefully, I heard breathing. It was deep and relaxed – a sure sign that whoever inside was sleeping, I hoped. Lightly, I jumped inside to face the guard. As I had thought, he was asleep.

You all know that he was a lobster – a red one in fact. There was an elevator on the face of the wall farthest away from me. It was probably once a mining shed – abandoned by humans now, obviously. I waddled over to the elevator.

In order to open it, the elevator required a password. Going back to the lobster, I found what I was looking for – the pass code written on his name card. Grinning, I shook my head, amazed at the sea creatures' stupidity.

Typing the password to the pad took seconds, and in less than a minute, I was heading down to Blowhole's lair. The lair was huge. Blowhole had really let himself go this time. I wonder how much it all cost.

I heard voices and feet coming from around the corner. I only had a second to act. Looking around, I spied a stack of boxes over at the corner – perfect. I slid over and hid behind them just in time. There were three lobsters.

It would have been easy to knock them out but to do that would need some noise. I was trying to be quiet. "Hey, someone is late again," said Lobster One.

"The boss ain't going to be happy about it," answered Lobster Two.

"It's not our problem. Come on. I'm hungry," joined in Lobster Three. "Let's go."

The lobsters left the room. I breathed out a sigh of relief – so far so good. The elevator dinged as it reached the surface; and I took my cue, sliding out to the corridors, careful to listen for any unwelcomed visitors.

I found a storage room where I took out my map of the lair. I was about a minute away, sliding distance, from Blowhole's lab. I put the map away, making sure that it was tucked in tightly.

A minute later, I was hiding behind a stack of boxes yet again, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Suddenly, the lights went out. I thought I had my chance. I jumped out of cover and tried a kick to Blowhole's face, only to find that someone had beaten me to it.

I was flying fast, complete with my pure cold hatred for Dr. Blowhole; I slammed into the wall feet first. The pain was agony shooting right through my leg. It was definitely sprained, perhaps even broken. Ignoring the pain, I tested it – no, it was just sprained.

I surveyed the lab, everything and everybody was in chaos. Blowhole himself lay on the ground unconscious. Something landed near my feet; I looked down. It was a smoke bomb. Smoke began filling the room, but through the mist, I saw the shadowy shapes of four other penguins.


	2. 2 Few Penguins Get Left Behind

**Author's Note: Here's the second chapter. Enjoy!**

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Lobsters were running into each other and spilling whatever they were holding onto the ground. My ears were ringing, because somebody had set off an explosion fifteen feet away from me. Fog seemed to cover my eyes, making it hard to see two feet in front of me.

I heard voices –penguin voices near me. My throat was dry, and I could only manage a little more than a croak. "What are you doing here?" I yelled the best I could.

One of the penguins –a flat-headed one- turned and stared at me. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

He had nerve talking to me like that when it was my mission. I played it cool. "I asked you first."

The tallest of the penguin turned to the flat-headed one. "He caught you there, Skipper," he said.

The penguin –supposedly Skipper- thought for a while. "This is our mission," he finally stated.

I gaped at him. "_Your_ mission? I was sent!"

Before he could answer, a short, chubby penguin came to us. "Skipper! It's about to blow!"

Skipper immediately took command. "Private! Go get Rico. We're leaving."

The chubby penguin waddled off. Skipper turned to the tall one. "Kowalski?" he asked hopefully.

Kowalski shook his head. "Negative. He's gone, sir. We'll never catch him. We barely have time to get out, I'm hypothesizing."

Skipper cursed. "How much time do we have?"

"About-"

At that moment, the sound speakers began stating the news. "This place will self-destruct in one minute."

"Does _that_ answer your question?" I said sarcastically.

He glanced at me. "Save your sarcasm, kid. It won't help you here."

With that, he slid away; Kowalski followed him. After a second of thought, I slid towards the exit. Through the dust, I could see the shadows of four penguins; it seemed like they were all there. As I was still watching, I saw the small one –Private- hit by a block.

Without stopping to think, I braked. He was unconscious. I picked him up and slung him over my shoulder. The penguin was heavier than I expected him to be. Ignoring the pain from my leg, I began waddling toward the exit again.

The alarms ringing in my ears, reminding myself that I only had little time. I have to admit that at one point, I was tempted to leave the boy there. I was horrified with myself. Instead, I sustained myself with the thought that few penguins are left behind.

Just when I was sure I was not going to make it, I saw a light ahead of me. Energy filled my body, and I picked up my speed. The cold night air blasted me full on. I could see a penguin –possibly Rico- watching anxiously at the entrance. The other two were arguing.

Rico saw me first. He hurried over and blabbered something that I did not quite catch. I smiled weakly at him; my energy was long gone. Private slid down just as the other penguins arrived. Then, the lair exploded.

**Ha! Cliffhanger. Stay tuned! **


	3. 3 Awake

**Next Chapter! Enjoy!**

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The first realization I had that I wasn't dead was voices –familiar, annoying voices. I had never been so glad to hear anyone in my life. "When is he going to wake up, Skipper?"

I knew that voice. I frantically searched in my mind for the name of the speaker. Private. That was his name. Skipper replied. "I don't know, Private. I don't know."

I heard a barely contained sob, and the sounds of another comforting the private. The sounds of pattering webbed feet reached my ears. "Kowalski?" asked Skipper.

"I'm not sure, Skipper. He took the worst damage of us. His body itself shielded us from most of the damage. Perhaps it would be better to just put him down."

Alarms went off in my head. I didn't fight all the way here just to be 'put down.' Thankfully, Skipper answered for me. "I will not give up on any penguin, even if he is incredibly annoying and jeopardized our entire mission."

"You can't let him die, Skipper!" Private cried. "He saved my life!"

I felt someone holding my flipper. "Oh, come on," said Private. "Wake up."

I tried my best for him. It was enough, though, for I heard him exclaim. "Look! He's awakening!"

The patter of feet immediately encircled me. I was glad that I had been able to make the boy happy. Suddenly, searing pain erupted from every part of my body. I moaned.

Forcing my eyes open, I was almost blinded by the light. I squeezed them shut again. "Light-" I managed to mumble.

Someone dimmed the lights when I slowly opened my eyes. I was aware of four concerned faces glancing down at me. "Did I miss anything?" I said weakly.

Skipper grinned. "Welcome back, soldier."

"Yeah, well, if I had known life hurt so badly, I might not have returned," I joked.

Apparently, Private didn't get the joke. Instead, he gasped loudly. "It's just a joke, Private," comforted Skipper.

"Looks like you're on the road to recovery," said Kowalski cheerfully.

"Yeah, and it looks like you got your annoying sense of humor too early," mumbled Skipper.

"Ahh, Skipper," I said, "you forgot to answer my first question."

He glared at me, then smirked. "I guess you've got about two weeks of catching up to do."

"T-two weeks?" I stuttered.

There was no way I could have been out for that long, right? I glanced at Kowalski for some assurance, but he shook his head. "He's right," he declared simply.

For the first time, I was afraid at how much damage I took. Ignoring the pain, I tried to sit up. Private rushed to my side, but Skipper waved him back, knowing that I needed to do this on my own. I shot a look of gratitude to him before I tried again.

Unfortunately, it took me many times before I was able to sit up on my own –add that with the fact that everyone was watching me, not to mention pity from Skipper. Yeah, the journey was embarrassing, but I made it –only to find my worst fears confirmed.

Bandages were wrapped around my body; my right leg was in a cast. I glanced to my left to find that my left flipper was wrapped up as well. As I held my good flipper to my head, I felt the dressing on my head for the first time. I glanced at them once more. "How bad?"

They all glanced away, unable to meet my eyes. "How bad was it?" I repeated.

No one answered. "If you don't answer, I'm getting out of this bed," I threatened.

That got their attention. Skipper rubbed the back of his head. "Well, let's just say that we didn't think you would make it."

"I did!" exclaimed Private.

"Counting the fact that you died for a while," added Kowalski under his breath.

I spun my head around to glance at him–bad mistake. Black spots began to fill my vision, and I'm sorry to say that I passed out.


	4. 4 NPTA

**Nathan: Why did you have to make me look so weak in the last chapter?**

**Me: It was in your perspective.**

**Nathan: Exactly! What kind of self-respecting penguin would make himself look that weak?!**

**Me: *losing it* Well, sorry if you didn't like it!**

**Nathan: *smiling* I got you to crack.**

**Me: You are so getting it. *picks up baseball bat***

**Nathan: *running away* By the way, apology accepted.**

* * *

For the second time that day, I woke up –this time with the smell of sardines. Private's face was hovering close by, and that was the first thing I saw. "He's awake!" Private yelled.

I held a flipper to my head and groaned. "Remind me _not_ to spin my head like that again," I said.

Rico smiled at me. He said something I didn't understand. "Sorry," I said. "What did you say?"

Private translated. "He says that you'll get well soon."

I glanced at Rico. He nodded in confirmation. Kowalski waddled over. "Perhaps you should get some rest," he said. "Sleep is said to be the best medicine for illnesses."

I raised my non-existent brow. "I have been sleeping for the past two weeks. I think I have enough of that for a while."

"But-"

"No buts, Kowalski."

This got a chuckle from Private, and I could guess why. "You know," I went on. "They say that laughter is also a good remedy."

Kowalski thought hard for a moment. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try?" he suggested weakly.

I smiled at him. "Good work."

Scanning the room, I asked them, "Do you have a wheelchair?"

Skipper turned to Rico. "Rico! Wheelchair. ASAP."

Then, the most unbelievable thing happened. Rico somehow regurgitated a wheelchair. I opened my beak to ask something when I saw Skipper shake his head. "Is it clean?" I asked instead.

Rico nodded vigorously. Taking that as a yes, I slowly eased myself into the chair. It was a little harder than sitting up, but this time, I had the help of the other penguins. Private waddled over to me. "Thanks for saving me," he said.

Kowalski bowed his head. "And for saving ours as well."

Skipper smirked. "You took the worst hit, soldier. That makes you welcome anytime."

"You might not be saying that again in your life, Skipper," I laughed. "By the way, my name is Nathan."

Before he could answer, the TV screen turned on. A penguin appeared on it. "Hello," he said.

There were some scuffling in the background and some hushed whispers before he spoke again. "I heard that Nathan is well again."

I nearly stood up when he said that. "How do you know me?" I asked.

"And who are you?" Skipper added.

Kowalski inched away from the TV's view to find where the video was being broadcasted. The penguin laughed. "My name is Leo, but many of you know me as the 'Lion.'"

We all froze when he said that –well, all of us except Private that is. "Who?" the young penguin asked.

Leo glanced down at him. "Ah," he noted. "College boy."

"Why does everybody say that like an insult?" exclaimed Private. "I think _somebody_ is just jealous."

I gasped, and Skipper hurriedly placed a flipper on Private's beak. "He didn't mean that, sir."

"Yes I did!" mumbled Private.

I laughed nervously. "Why did you call us, sir?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the mission."

I forgot who I was talking to when I spoke the next few sentences. "Oh, that. Why did you send two teams in? Without even telling them? Were you trying to get us killed? We almost lost a penguin in there! Who do you think you are?" I blurted out.

Immediately, I covered my beak. I knew I had just given myself a death sentence. Surprisingly, Leo scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry about that," he said. "We thought it would be the best way to bring your teams together."

"Whatda mean?" asked Skipper.

"I mean that from now on, you two are going to have to work together."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I cut in. "You nearly got us killed and now you're telling us that we have to work together?"

"Yes."

"Hey," yelled Skipper. "What's the point of this?"

"Yeah!" I agreed.

"Um, Skipper, perhaps you shouldn't-"

Skipper held up a flipper to silence the scientist. "Let the penguin answer," he said.

Leo sighed. "Look, we're trying to enforce the penguin credo more and eliminate solo players."

I glared daggers at him. "All of you at the NPTA (National Penguin Team Association) know that I work alone. I will not endanger another one of my own again!"

With that, I wheeled myself to one of their secret tunnels and banged the door shut. After waiting awhile, I pressed an ear to the door to hear the rest of the conversation. "What was that about?" asked Private.

"I should have known this wouldn't be easy," said Leo.

"What did he mean by 'endangering one of his own'?" asked Kowalski.

Leo sighed. "I guess I should tell you about his partner."

How dare he tell them about Billy? I clenched my fists and wheeled myself away without hearing the rest of their talk.

* * *

**Nathan: I agree with your last sentence! How dare you tell them about Billy?!**

**Me: I thought that knock on the head had disabled your speaking abilities.**

**Nathan: Nope!**

**Me: Too bad...**

**Nathan: I'm still mad at you, though.**

**Me: You never get mad for long.**

**Nathan: Who said so?**

**Me: I did.**

**Nathan: You can't make me. What are you going to do? Make me wear a diaper until I calm down?**

**Me: That's not a bad idea. *picks up pencil***

**Nathan: Noooo!**


	5. 5 Nathan's Partner

"Nathan didn't always work alone," explained Leo. "He had a partner –Billy."

"What happened?" asked Private.

"I'll get to that part soon," said Leo. "Together, Billy and he were one of the best."

He glanced at Skipper. "Perhaps you know them, Skipper."

Skipper shook his head. "Negative, sir."

"They were called the 'Twins.'"

Skipper's, Kowalski's, and Rico's eyes widened in understanding. "You mean the Snow Twins?" clarified Kowalski.

Leo nodded. "That's the one."

"The Snow Twins?" Private snickered. "Why were they called that?"

"Because they were the cutest penguins on earth –too adorable to kill, but ruthless killers inside. Snow described them perfectly –fun to play, but able to kill," said Leo. "So, I suggest you don't make fun of them."

Private nodded silently. "Weren't they gone years before?" questioned Skipper. "On that one mission where everything went wrong?"

"Yes, the mission involving Blowhole. Many things went wrong that day, and Nathan lost his brother."

"Wait a minute," stopped Skipper. "They were actual brothers?"

"Yes, twins too, in fact. Nathan felt like he lost a part of him that day. He was never the same afterwards –also insisted that everyone called him Nathan instead of Nat to cancel all rumors associating with him and the 'Twins.' Since that day, he always worked alone."

"Poor Nathan," said Private. "It must be as if I lost Skipper, Kowalski, or Rico."

"No, Private." Leo shook his head. "It was as if you lost everybody you knew."

"That poor kid," sympathized Skipper. "He was just a rookie when I met Rico."

"A very intelligent and hardworking penguin," agreed Leo. "They were the best we had."

"Why torture the kid?" asked Skipper. "If he doesn't want to work in a team, why make him?"

"Because, Skipper, an enemy of ours is targeting solos. We're losing more agents than we ever had! You think I don't care about my men?"

Silence filled the room as everyone thought about Nathan. "How did he get that sarcastic humor of his?" mumbled Skipper to himself. "I suppose it masks the pain he is feeling."

"It's time for me to go," announced Leo. "Oh, and I suggest you don't mention everything that I told you to Nathan or the fact that I even told you in the first place."

After the penguins saluted each other, Leo nodded once more; and the screen went black.


	6. 6 My Own Master

About two weeks had passed since the visit from Leo. Thankfully, the penguins treated me the same way as they would if they had not heard about Billy. I think Skipper ordered them not to say anything. However, I know they knew.

Each of them would shoot a sympathetic glance at me when they thought I was not looking. I have heard Skipper talk to himself about me when everybody was asleep. Fortunately, I was now completely well and could train once more. Unfortunately, Skipper and I argued a lot.

I breathed in the fresh scent of early morning. The sun peaked over the horizon like a fire gun's ray. The birds in the park woke and started singing, and a squirrel almost got punched because he was incredibly annoying. I stretched myself and dove into the pool.

The cold water woke me up; and after a quick swim, I was ready to train. As soon as I got out of the water and dried myself down, Skipper and the others came up. "Morning, Skipper!" I yelled.

Skipper jumped and spun himself around, kicking whatever was behind him. If it weren't for my reflects and luck, I would have been in bed again. "Nathan!" he exclaimed crossly. "Never surprise me like that again!"

I shrugged. "All right."

He narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. "Front and center!"

Kowalski, Rico, and Private lined up in front of him while I gave them an amused look. Shrugging once more, I turned and waddled to the edge of the pool. Just as I was about to jump in, Skipper called me. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you think I am? Dancing?"

"Don't get cocky with me, boy. Now, front and center!"

"Wait, _you_ want _me_ to line up?"

"It ain't rocket science!"

"What makes you think I have to obey you?"

"You're in my team!" he yelled. "I'm the leader! It ain't hard!"

"Ahh," I said. "What if _I_ was meant to replace _you_ as leader?"

He glanced at me as if I had lost my mind. "What?"

I waddled over to him. "Listen, the way I see it is that we just have to work with each other."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We never needed to do anything except missions together."

He nodded. "I'm listening."

"I don't want to train with you, and you don't want to be around me. Am I right?"

"Yeah, go on."

" How about we just do missions together? We don't have to eat, sleep, or train together. How does that sound?"

He thought for a while, but I knew his mind was already made up. "Sounds like a plan," said Skipper. "You've got yourself a deal, soldier."

Grinning, I saluted him and jumped into the pool. As I began waddling toward the park, I heard Kowalski arguing with Skipper on something around the lines of "He's very good in twisting orders to his own advantage; we should discourage that."


	7. 7 Little Brother

Private and I walked back to the zoo. "So," asked Private, "how was it?"

I grinned at him. "Amazingly delicious."

He beamed. "See, everybody likes snow cones."

I laughed. "You were right, Private. Race you back to the zoo."

I took off sliding. He ran a little before launching himself. "Not fair!" yelled Private. "You got a head start!"

We arrived, laughing, at the penguin habitat. "Uh oh," said Private, sliding to a stop.

I followed his glance to see a very angry looking Skipper. "I agree," I whispered back.

"Where have you been? You missed training!"

As I opened my beak to defend myself, Private lowered his eyes. "Sorry, Skipper."

I realized that the words were directed at the young penguin. Without thinking, I defended Private. "It wasn't his fault," I said.

Skipper turned to me. "Yes it was," he answered.

"I asked him to go," I replied.

Skipper glanced at Private. "Is it true?"

The boy looked at me, fear in his eyes. I nodded once. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.

Skipper glanced between us and sighed. "Ten laps around the zoo," he finally said.

With that, he jumped back into the HQ. Private looked at me. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Defend me? It was my fault. I asked you if you wanted to get snow cones with me. I should have looked at the time," he said.

The penguin was nearly in tears. I waddled over to him. "Instinct, Private. You reminded me of someone."

He looked up at me. "Thanks."

I smiled back. "Come on. I'll do the laps with you."

Ten laps later…

"That was refreshing," I noted.

"Nothing like a swim after a long run," agreed Private.

He glanced at me. "Nathan? Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did," I said, smiling.

"I mean another one."

"Sure, Private. What do you want to know?"

"You said I reminded you of somebody. Who?"

I looked toward the horizon. "You're a lot like my brother, Private. A lot like him."

Without waiting for an answer, I climbed down to the HQ.


	8. 8 Badgers

"It's Friday, boys, and you know what that means."

Kowalski took out his clipboard as I rolled my eyes. "Recon," we both said.

"Can we have snow cones later?" asked Private.

Rico nodded vigorously in agreement. Skipper smiled. "I don't see why not. As long as everything goes as plan."

I fist pumped the air. We all went topside as Skipper gave us our roles. "Rico, Kowalski, you have the zoo. Nathan, Private, you're in the park. I'm checking downtown."

We saluted him and slid to our positions. "Let's start from the far end and make our way towards the zoo," I suggested.

Private nodded. "Sounds good."

Private and I have been paired together a lot, and I had taken the role of leadership between us. Private offered no argument and was fine having me in charge. I inclined my head. "Want to take point?"

He spun toward me, eyes wide. "Really?"

I grinned. "Why not?"

Jumping with joy, the boy took point. We journeyed on in silence; Private was taking his job very seriously. When we were about halfway to the zoo, Private stopped. "What is it?" I whispered.

He held up a flipper. "Badgers," he whispered in fear.

Yellow eyes came to view, and I shuddered. "We can take them," I said confidently.

Placing a flipper on Private, I was shocked by how cold he was. "Private? Are you all right?"

"Badgers," he said once more.

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, I know."

He turned to me. "You can't trust them."

Before I could ask him what he meant, a badger climbed out of the shadows. "Hello, penguins."

"I wish I could say the same," I replied evenly.

Private was frozen in fear. I briefly wondered what horrible experience he had with badgers before realizing that now was not the time to ask. The badger chuckled. "We have you surrounded."

On cue, badgers appeared on all sides, cutting off any exit we might have used. "What do you want?" I hissed.

"Only the boy."

I shielded Private from him. "Over my dead body."

Hurriedly, I slipped our walkie-talkie into Private's flipper. "Keep this safe, and when I give you the signal, call for backup." I whispered.

He nodded. The badger chuckled. "It would be a minor obstacle, but I shall grant you your wish."

I met his eyes. "You don't know what's coming to you."

"Kill him."

Badgers startled approaching us. "Now, Private!" I yelled.

As I did a move called the 'Flaming Tornado,' I heard Private call. "We're near Fred's," he yelled. "Requiring immediate backup! Roger that?"

"We're coming, Private!" I heard Skipper say. "Just hang on!"

I punched a badger in the face. "Go, Private! Climb up a tree!"

Another badger went down. "Hurry!"

"What about you?" he yelled.

"I'll be fine!" I ducked a punch and heard the satisfying crunch of the hit colliding with the badger behind me. Standing upright again, I chided the badger. "Didn't your mother teach you not to fight?"

Grinning, I chopped his neck, sending him out cold. "Isn't that Skipper's move?"

I turned back to see Private on a tree. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to say that. "It may be," I replied.

I spun around and felt that satisfying feeling as my foot collided with my target. "Stay there, Private!"

I laughed a crazy laugh that would put Rico to shame. "Bring it on, badgers," I teased.

Badger after badger went down. I had never felt so alive in a long time. The last time I had felt this way was when Billy was killed. The only difference was that while rage filled me before, love fueled me today.

Never would another penguin die under my watch, I had vowed. Today, I was going to prove it. After a while, every badger was either knocked out or running; or so I thought. "Run home, runt!" I called after the last badger had fled.

Grinning, I glanced back at Private, only to find that the leader of the badgers had him cornered. Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico showed up. "Just point to the target, and we'll take care of it," said Skipper, getting ready to pounce.

Ignoring him, I ran towards Private.


	9. 9 Reasons

**Author's Note: Sorry if the characters are OOC. Enjoy and Review.**

* * *

"Ah, long time to see, eh?" said the badger, whirling the blade between his hands. "You know, you left before we could give you a proper farewell."

Private found his voice. "You lied to me. There are no such things as butterscotch lolly trees."

"That was merely a joke."

"You're sick. You've played the trick on many poor souls before."

"Another side of you, I see."

"It's not one that I like to show."

"Yes, it doesn't fit you. The others were…..unfortunate."

"I know the truth."

"Yes, you do, don't you? Which is why, I can't let you live. See, after you spread the news, business became slow. And I don't forgive easily."

I slid as fast as I could; the badger was coming closer to Private. The blade glinted in the sunlight, just as I jumped up and knocked everybody down. All three of us fell down the tree. Midair, I spun around to face the badger. Grasping the knife, I plunged it into his heart.

Eyes rounded, he looked up at me. My eyes were cold and hard, offering no comfort. I was a cold-blooded killer, and both of us knew it. We crashed to the ground. I rolled a somersault to break the fall, then immediately turned around. "Private!"

His eyes were squeezed shut, and all the breath was knocked out of him. Although he must have hit the ground hard, Private showed no physical signs of pain. "Private?" I asked.

"It didn't happen. It didn't happen," he whispered softly to himself.

I hugged the boy. "It's over, Private."

He opened an eye. "Nathan?"

"In the flesh."

"Private! Nathan!"

The other penguins finally arrived. I raised a brow. "It's about time."

Private smiled and looked over at me. He gasped. "Nathan! You're hurt!"

I looked down at myself. "Just a few scratches and cuts, Private. They look worse than they feel."

Kowalski came over. "You still need medical attention, though."

I waved him away. "I'll be fine."

Private helped me up. "Please go to the vet."

"That needle-sticking demon? Kowalski can fix me up," I replied.

They all stared at me. "What?" I asked.

Rico shook his head. "Nothing," he grunted.

I looked at them curiously. "Are you sure?"

Private smiled. "Yup."

It took us a while to reach the zoo, but we managed to make it. Thankfully, the zoo was closed; it was easier to return to our habitat. I lay on the table as Kowalski and Rico fixed me up. I was quizzical about Rico's abilities as a medic, but both Skipper and Private assured me that he knew what he was doing.

I stood up and looked myself over. "Back to the bandages again," I sighed.

"You seem to have a knack to getting hurt," agreed Skipper.

I looked at Private. "You all right?"

"Yeah," he replied.

Kowalski leaned over to me. "Mentally, he'll have nightmares for a while," he whispered.

"Why?"

"The boy is terrified of badgers," explained Skipper, after Private had gone topside to get our dinner. "I need to get rid of that."

I glanced sharply at him. "Everybody has their fears," I said.

"Not like that," he returned.

Kowalski and Rico exchanged a look, already knowing that it was not going to end well. "Oh yeah?" I shot back. "Ever heard of phobias?"

Skipper opened his beak, but I cut him off. "Usually, they form because of an incident in childhood."

"The fear is unnatural!"

"I bet you have one."

He paused. I knew I had him caught. "I'm working on it," he finally grumbled.

"See?"

"It's not good for the team!" he argued.

My flippers were curled up into fists. I knew what I was going to do if we continued talking. Not wanting a fight, I turned my back to him and climbed up the ladder. "Think about it," I yelled.

Topside, Private glanced at me in surprise. "Did Skipper send you?"

Seeing my angry look, he took a step back. "Did something happen?" he asked.

"Nothing, Private," I said. "Nothing at all."

Guilt filled my body as I flipped over the fence. The boy was only trying to help, but I did not want to talk to anyone right now. Closing my eyes for a second or two, I headed toward the park.

* * *

**Skipper and Nathan seem to get in fights a lot, don't they? Should I make them friends or just continue? What do you think?**


	10. 10 X in a Tree

**Sorry for not updating sooner. Hope I didn't chase anybody away. Anyway, here's Chapter 10!**

**Nathan: It's about time.**

**Me: Isn't that a name of an episode?**

**Nathan: What episode?**

**Me: *wide eyes* Never mind. I forgot who I was talking to.**

**Nathan: Wait! Tell me!**

* * *

Marlene hopped over beside me. "Hey!" she said. "What's up?"

"Sky, a few clouds," I replied weakly.

She punched my flipper softly. "Ha ha. Very funny. I'm serious here."

I opened my beak to reply when we both heard a loud noise. We both glanced at each other. "We should probably check that out," I said.

"Yeah," agreed Marlene.

We slid/ran toward the noise. I flipped on the wall while Marlene jumped up beside me. "What is it?" she panted.

I looked through the binoculars. "Not sure yet- Oh!"

"What is it?"

"Just some guy animal napping a squirrel."

"What!"

"What is it?"

I tore my eyes away from the binoculars to find Skipper and the team on the wall. We both exchanged a glance but reached a silent agreement to put our argument in the past. "What is it?" repeated Private.

I handed the binoculars to him. He looked through it. "Oh dear! Officer X is trying to catch Fred!"

"Fred?" I said, confused.

I snatched the binoculars from him. "Oh, that annoying squirrel whom I almost punched the other day."

"He _is_ dumb-witted," agreed Kowalski.

"We need to save him!" cried Private.

"Negative," Skipper shook his head. "Not now. We'll blow our cover with this many people in the park."

"But Skipper!"

"No buts, Private. We'll just break into Animal Control Supermax Facility again."

Kowalski scribbled some calculations on his clipboard. "We could do that, but it has a higher chance of failing," he stated.

"Give me the numbers."

"46 percent."

"It'll have to do."

I glanced at Skipper. "When are we going in?"

"Tonight."

* * *

**Nathan: You're never going to tell me what episode you're talking about, are you?**

**Me: Nope**

**Nathan: Oh well, I guess we have to do this the hard way. *takes up chainsaw***

**Me: *running away* See yah soon!**


	11. 11 Planning It All Out

"Anybody have any suggestions on why X did it?"

We were all seated around the stone table. The HQ was on full lock down so that nobody –the lemurs – could disturb us while we were planning everything out. Kowalski took out his clipboard. "There have been complaints of an animal stealing stuff and terrifying children lately. Perhaps X thought that Fred was the culprit and decided that if he handed him in, he would get his job back."

Private chuckled. "Why would anyone think that Fred was mean? He wouldn't even hurt a fly."

We all looked at him. "Well," said Private, "not intentionally at least."

"Anyway," continued Kowalski, "If X gets his job back–"

"We won't be able to roam the streets as freely anymore," finished Skipper.

Kowalski nodded in conformation. "That would make things harder," I noted.

They all stared at me as if I had spouted a second head. "Officer X is a monster to all animals alike," explained Kowalski. "He was the best animal control officer they had, that is until we caused him to lose his job. Now, he hates all penguins and will go into extreme measures to ensure our capture."

I raised a brow. "So, technically, this is all your fault."

Rico rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe, yup."

"We don't like to think of it that way," piped in Private.

Kowalski scoffed. "Of course not! We're the line keeping chaos from erupting into this city!"

"The commandos in black and white," added Skipper.

I stared at them. "Back to the subject?"

Kowalski cleared his throat. "Yes, right."

I placed a flipper on our plans. "We moving at 1600 hours, correct?"

Kowalski nodded. I went on. "How are we getting in?"

"We'll use the grabbing hook, shooting it from this building right next to it. I'll cut the glass, and you all will move in," said Kowalski.

"Won't there be security?"

Skipper looked at Kowalski. "We didn't think about that."

"All right. How about we all stand on this ledge here while Kowalski cuts the glass? Once the glass is cut, Rico will throw a smoke bomb in there to see if there is any invisible lasers. How does that sound?" I suggested.

"What if the bomb touches a laser?" asked Private.

I nodded thoughtfully. "If only there was a way to get the smoke bomb to fire without touching anything."

"Why can't we do it like we did last time?" Skipper threw his flippers up in frustration.

"Last time, it was beginner's luck," said Kowalski.

Skipper glared at him. "Luck is for leprechauns."

Kowalski chuckled nervously. "Right."

I brightened up. "Why don't we use those plunger shoe thingies to walk on the ceiling?"

Kowalski thought for a while. "I don't see why not."

I clapped my flippers together. "Well, there's our breaking in planned out. Now, what about our exit?"

Skipper smirked. "We'll just tie a tag on Rico's foot, indicating that he is owned by the zoo, and have him swallow us all up. When the people come in to the cell, they see a penguin there and Bam! Problem solved. The humans will put us back into the zoo, and X will lose his job once more."

Kowalski placed his flippers on the table. "Let's put that in the plan C folder," he stated firmly.

We exchanged questioning looks, but none of us objected. Who in their right mind would want to be swallowed up by their teammates, anyway? "We know that there will be alarms," I said, "and other animals in there as well."

"We _are_ going to save them, right?" asked Private.

Skipper smirked. "Of course. It would be breaking the penguin credo if we left them there."

I groaned loudly. "This is taking too long. How about we cross that bridge when we come to it?"

Kowalski looked at me indignantly. "We plan missions out to reduce chances for error! We do not 'cross the bridge when we come to it!'" He put quotes around the words.

I cocked a brow. "You have a plan?"

He opened his beak but then looked away. "Not now," he mumbled.

I got up and placed a flipper around him. "Look," I said kindly. "How about you give us options when we come to it?"

Kowalski brightened up. "Great idea! I need to make some lists. I'll be in the lab if you want me!"

He rushed to the lab while I chuckled. I waddled to the ladder. "Where are you going?" asked Skipper.

"To prepare for tonight," I replied.

I left them to ponder over my words.


	12. 12 One, Two, Three

The sun had set, and it was time for action. "Everybody set?" Skipper asked.

We all checked our equipment for the umpteenth time. "Yup!"

"We shake on my count….NOW!"

We all started to shake the soda bottles strapped onto our backs. The caps exploded, and we rocketed into the air. "Yahoo!" I yelled. "This feels great!"

Skipper smirked at me. "This is what flying feels like."

I grinned back at him. Our relationship had gotten better and better, much to the relief of the other penguins. "We were made for this!" I said.

I rolled over in the air. "Why didn't we do this before?" I was slightly hurt that they had never told me about the "jetpacks."

"They are only for emergencies," replied Skipper curtly.

I shrugged the explanation away. "It's awesome to fly."

Kowalski flew over beside me. "I am working on better jetpacks. One day, we'll be able to fly whenever we want."

I looked over at him. "Better make it top priority 'cos I can't wait!"

"Ready position!" Skipper's call was heard by all of us.

We lined up on to both sides of him –Private and I on the left, and Kowalski and Rico on the right. In a formation similar to those of migrating birds, we swooped down one by one and neatly landed on the building next to Animal Control Supermax Facility.

We took off our jetpacks and lined facing the building. Both Skipper and I took out the binoculars. "We're clear of guards," I stated, looking through them.

Now that we were on a mission, all tension between Skipper and I had disappeared. We both knew that our arguments could be saved for later. "Security is tight," said Skipper.

"I see a minute transition with the cameras. We have an approximate 3.5 seconds of coverage," I continued.

"See any cover?" asked Kowalski.

Private's face was serious. He knew that this was an important mission. Many animals were at stake. "There's a door leading somewhere, but I'm not sure if there are any cameras in there," I replied.

"It will have to do," determined Skipper. "It's the best option we have."

"So we'll have to slip past the lasers and get into the room before the cameras spot us?" clarified Private.

I glanced at him. "That's the idea, yes."

Private looked at me. "How are we going to do that?"

I thought about it. "There's no way we can all fit into the room before the cameras see us. There might be a way we can do this in shifts, though."

"Explain," ordered Skipper.

"I go in first," I said. "It'll be simple enough. One by one, we all have plenty of time. When the cameras switch again, Kowalski comes. I open the door for him. As he is in the air, Rico jumps. He enters the room before the cameras look. When the next change comes along, you and Private go."

"It could work, but what are we going to swing from?"

I mentioned for him to use his binoculars. "Do you see that pipe hanging down?"

"Yes," he nodded. "This could work."

"So we won't need the plunger shoes?" asked Kowalski.

"No," I answered. "We didn't count for cameras when we planned this."

"It'll take longer, but the chances for error are reduced," said Skipper. "Let's do this! Rico, grabbing hook!"

Rico hacked up the required tool and handed it to Skipper. After aiming carefully, Skipper shot the rope. We all slid after him and landed safely on the ledge. Private looked down. "It's a long way down," he noted.

"Just don't look down," I replied.

When the cameras' 'blind spot,' was turned on us, Kowalski quickly cut the glass, and I jumped in. Counting the seconds in my head, I closed the door just as the cameras turned again.

The rest of the process went smoothly. After Skipper hopped in, we grouped up again. "We're in a storage room, but I see an air vent over there." I pointed up. "We can use that to get to the other rooms."

Skipper groaned. "Air vents are such a cliché!"

I turned my gaze to him. "It's always the clichés that people don't remember to look at."

We stacked on top of each other. Skipper opened the latch, and we all slid in.

* * *

**Nathan: Come on, who doesn't like flying?**

**Me: Depends how**

**Nathan: What do you mean?**

**Me: If you're just flying with the wind in your feathers, then I love flying. If it's in an airplane, then not really.**

**Nathan: Okay...**


	13. Relieving the Past

"Does anyone besides me feel an odd sense of déjà vu?" asked Kowalski.

"I do," said Skipper.

Rico nodded vigorously. "Uh huh!"

"Just a little," noted Private.

"I take it you've all been here before," I said. "Turn left!"

Skipper turned left just in time. The rest of us followed. "Thanks for trusting me," I said.

"Instinct," replied Skipper. "Years of military ordering programmed me to obey a direct order on the first thought."

"Really?" said Kowalski.

Skipper glanced back at him. "Don't even try it, or I'll give you maintenance duty for a month."

He turned my gaze to me. "May I ask why you chose left?"

I shook my head. "Gut instinct."

He nodded. "I'll take that."

"Right!"

My order was well received by Skipper. "Second latch!" I added.

We all stopped at the designated place and looked down. We were on top of a room full of cages. "Good work on your gut instinct," commented Skipper.

I rolled my eyes but said nothing. Rico kicked the latch open, and we jumped down. All the other animals in the room looked at us in surprise. One of them gripped the bars of his cage tightly. "Do you have a death wish or something?" he hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving a friend," replied Skipper.

"And the rest of you too," added Private.

They all started cheering. "Quiet down!" I shouted. "Do you want to bring the officers here?"

Hearing the threat of the rescue over before it even begun, everybody quieted down immediately. Skipper turned to Private. "Private! You and Kowalski stay here to unlock the rest of these cages. The rest of us will continue on. Once you're done, allow all of them to be loose. That will create panic. During the confusion, sneak into another room and start all over again. The rest of the times, though, allow animals to leave as soon as they're free."

"What if we get caught?" asked a cat. "We don't want to end up back here again."

The other animals mumbled their agreement. Skipper glanced sharply at the cat who had spoken. "We'll break you out again," he said. "Comprehende?"

With that, the rest of us flipped back into the vent again and started sliding to the next room. After we dropped Rico off and got some paper clips to act as lock pickers, Skipper and I were left. We came to a crossroads in the vents. We stopped. "I go left, you right?" I suggested.

He nodded. "Works for me."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Listen, about our argument–"

He waved it away. "No worries. What has past has pasted."

I smiled at him. "So, partners?"

He shook my flipper. "Partners."

Skipper looked at me in the eye. "I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If I get caught by X, leave me behind and take my boys to safety."

I looked at him and could tell that he was serious. "Fine, if you promise me that if I tell you to go, you take everybody out."

"Deal."

We went our separate ways, each with the other's promise still fresh in his head.

* * *

**Nathan: Practice makes perfect, you know.**

**Me: What does this have to do with anything?**

**Nathan: You know deja vu? You do it many times then you get it perfect.**

**Me: *stares***

**Nathan: Maybe that's just me...**


	14. Lives at Stake

Just as I jumped into my room, I heard alarms begin to ring throughout the compound. I grinned to myself. Private and Kowalski must have finished letting everybody go. I glanced at the surprised faces looking at me. "Who wants to get out?"

Everybody yelled with joy. As I unlocked the different cages, I came to one with a squirrel. "You must be Fred," I said.

He looked at me. "Is the hotel stay over?"

I stared at him. He continued. "The room was okay, but the food is horrible. They don't even have acorns!"

I shook my head and decided to play along for the sake of everybody else. "We're having a fire drill. Just follow the crowd outside."

"Okay." He got out of the cage and followed everyone out.

I sighed in relief and continued freeing the animals from their cages. As the last animal was freed, Private and Kowalski came over. "Oh!" exclaimed Private. "This room is already done!"

I turned my gaze to them. "Are the rest of the rooms done?"

"As we know, yes," said Kowalski.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"We're not sure," said Private.

At that moment, an officer came in. He looked at us, and Private gasped. "It's Officer X!"

"Penguins," said X in contempt. "You caused me my job, but you're not going to do that again."

He made a lunge for us, and we all jumped out of the way. "Wasn't it jobs?" I teased.

Kowalski turned a flip away from X's grabbing hands. "You know he can't understand you, so he doesn't know that you are taunting him, right?"

I somersaulted over the officer's head. "Everybody knows when somebody is teasing them, even if it's just squawks."

X growled. "Come back here!"

We slid out of the room and began running for our lives. "So," I said, "Any options, Kowalski?"

He glared at me before answering. "If we can find the rest of the team, we might have a higher chance of defeating him."

"Good." I slid ahead of them. "Follow me!"

I turned left. Private and Kowalski were right behind me. "How do you know where to go?" panted Private.

"You can call it a hunch." I shrugged. "Gut instinct, I guess."

Kowalski groaned. "Great! Our lives are placed in the hands of a hunch!"

"Hey!" I snapped. "Respect the gut. It's saved my tail feathers in countless of times, and I don't think it's going to let me down now."

"Can we save this for another time?" asked Private.

"The boy is right," I said. "Save this for later."

"How is it my fault?"

We turned left and nearly collided with Rico. "Sorry, Rico!" I yelled. "Can't stop now! You might want to join us if you value your life!"

"It's X!" explained Private as Rico slid next to us.

Rico jabbered something incomprehensible. "What did he say?" I asked.

"He wants to know if we can bomb X up!" said Private.

I thought for a while. Kowalski gaped. "You're not seriously considering it, are you?" he gasped.

I turned an apologetic glance to Rico. "Sorry, Rico. As much as it's appealing to me, we have to save it for later."

"Save it for later?" repeated Kowalski. "Do you want to bring the whole roof on us?"

"Hopefully, no," I replied. "Just a start of a plan."

As we turned another corner, I yelled out. "Look out, Skipper!"

Skipper shifted in time to jump up and slide next to me. "What did you do?" he yelled.

"Why don't you look behind us?"

Skipper glanced behind. "Oh," he said, "I see you've found X."


	15. A Team In Need Is A Team Indeed

"I have a plan, but you're not going to like it," I said.

Skipper glanced at me doubtfully. "I have a feeling that I'm not going to like it too."

Kowalski turned his gaze on me. "What is it?"

I looked at Skipper. "This has something to do with the deal we made earlier. I'll distract X while you guys escape."

"Hey!" argued Skipper. "When I made that promise earlier, I didn't plan for this."

I glanced sharply at him. "We made a deal, so don't you tell me that you're going to back out of it."

We reached a dead end. I looked at them all in turn. "Don't you see? I'm not going to let another penguin die on my watch again. You all have a better chance of making it out of here if I distract X."

Private placed a flipper on my back. "Skipper is right, Nathan. We can't let you do this."

Kowalski stepped up. "Never swim alone, remember?"

Rico nodded. "Relatively few penguins get left behind," he said.

I smiled at them. "As much as I hate you all right now, no penguin could ever wish for a better team."

Skipper smirked. "You can say that again."

"All right. No penguin could ever wish for a better team," I repeated.

Skipper rolled his eyes at me. "You'll never change, will you?"

I scoffed. "Of course not!"

Private smiled. "You know, we're all one big family."

I looked at him. "What happened to the happy part?"

"That part doesn't apply to us," said Kowalski.

"So," I said. "What's the plan, Kowalski my man?"

I chuckled. "See, it rhymes."

Everybody rolled their eyes. Skipper glanced at our only exit. "Hey, where's X? He should be here by now."

Private opened his beak. "Don't jinx it!" I shouted, but it was already too late.

"Maybe we lost him."

At that moment, X came around the corner. "Looks like I got you rule-breaking birds caught," he said.

Private whimpered. "Oh dear."

Kowalski smirked and glanced at me. "Wing it?" he suggested.

I looked at him. "I see you have a plan."

"You know," said Skipper. "I once took down a walrus with a wing, a prayer, and another wing."

I crouched down, ready to attack. "Oh really? How do you plan on beating this one?"

"Several wings, two prayers, and three sticks of dynamite."

I smiled. "On your mark?"

Skipper fixed his gaze on X. "Attack!"


	16. Three Sticks of Dynamite

As I dodged a frantic grab from X, I glanced at the other penguins. We had certainly come far from our starting point. There was no doubt that we would beat X and get out of here. I launched a kick at X, but was batted away. He really was as good as they had said he was. As I flipped to break my fall, I skidded around. "Any ideas?"

They all shook their heads. I turned to Skipper. "You said that we needed some prayers, right?"

"It was a figure of speech!"

"It's the only thing we have!"

"Oh don't worry; I'm sure we've all said more than enough prayers to last us for a lifetime."

"So the only things we need are some explosives."

I thought for a while, then brightened up. "Rico!" I yelled. "Hit me with a stick of dynamite!"

"No!" screamed Kowalski. "You'll bring the whole roof down!"

Rico hacked up the dynamite and threw it to me before plunging himself into the thick of battle again. "Skipper! You, Private, and Rico keep X busy; and please try not to get yourself caught. I have a plan"

Skipper smirked at me. "Shouldn't be too hard. Come on, boys! Give it your very best!"

Nodding, I turned to Kowalski. "Listen, if we plant sticks of dynamite at specific points on the wall, will we be able to bring a section of the roof down without disrupting the rest?"

Kowalski glanced up and made some mental calculations. "Yes, I think it's possible."

"So, if we have incredibly timing," I continued. "We'll be able to bring the roof down on X and get out of here?"

Kowalski's eyes widened. "I get it!"

I grinned. "Rico! We need two more sticks!"

"Two more?" asked Kowalski, as we both caught the explosives.

"Yeah," I replied, "we still have to stick with the plan of several wings, two prayers, and three sticks of dynamite."

"Skipper's plan?"

"Give him credit. His gut made a plan for us. All we had to do was understand it."

We jumped up and caught the pipe hanging down from the ceiling. "One!" I shouted, placing the explosive.

Kowalski flipped and placed another one before tumbling down on the ground. "Two!"

I carefully placed the last one and lighted all of them. "Three!"

Kowalski turned to the rest of the team. "Get off!"

Immediately, the other penguins flipped next to us in time to see concrete and tiles tumble down on X. Skipper grinned widely. "Outstanding work, boys!"

"You made the plan, Skipper," said Kowalski modestly.

I nodded. "Remember? Several wings, two prayers, and three sticks of dynamite."

Skipper chuckled. "Come on. Let's get out of here before the humans come."

We slid away from the scene of the crime. After checking that no animals were left behind, we waddled out of the building. "Did anybody see Fred?" asked Private.

I nodded. "Yeah, I sent him with the others. That squirrel thought he was staying in a hotel!"

Kowalski laughed. "How did you get him out?"

"I told him we were having a fire drill."

Private grew worried. "Do you think he'll come back later?"

We all stopped. Finally, Rico shook his head. "Nuh uh."

I glanced quizzically at him. "Why not?"

He pointed to his gut. "Gut instinct."

Laughing, we slid back home.


	17. Maverick

**Note: This chapter is not in Nathan's PoV. Read on and you'll see why.**

* * *

It had been a week since the mission with X. Private woke up first, much to his surprise. Stretching, he yawned and jumped down from his bed. As he looked around, Private felt as if something was missing. He looked around again and soon discovered what. "Everybody wake up! Nathan's gone!"

Wide awake, the other penguins flipped out of their bunks. "What?" asked Skipper.

Wordlessly, Private pointed to the empty bunk. Kowalski waddled over to it. He spied a note on the bed and picked it up. "He left a note."

"What does it say?" asked Private.

Kowalski began to read. "You are all probably awake if you're reading this. I'm sure you have already discovered that my bunk is empty. I know that after Kowalski does some calculations, you'll all know that I left sometime around midnight. I hope none of you will hate me for leaving. I have decided that it was time to move on and meet new adventures. I am and will always be a loner. I wasn't made for a team after what happened with Blowhole. From, Nathan."

Kowalski searched under the pillow and discovered four envelopes with their names on it. "He's left a note for each of us."

After Kowalski had handed the envelopes out, the screen turned on, and Leo appeared. Private turned around in surprise. "Oh!"

"Nathan is gone, isn't he?" asked Leo.

"How did you know?" asked Skipper. "You're not spying on us, are you?"

Leo shook his head. "No, he left me a message."

"Through what?" asked Kowalski.

"Email."

"You have an email?" asked Private.

Leo nodded. "Oh yeah. Not many people know it, but somehow Nathan has gained access to it."

"Did you manage to track it?" asked Kowalski hopefully.

Leo shook his head. "It was sent from an internet café west of here –at 1 am."

"Isn't leaving insubordination?" asked Skipper.

"Nathan is an interesting case. He isn't officially part of the NPTA since the mission with Blowhole. We still count him as an agent, but he answers to no one but himself," explained Leo. "I'm surprised he even stayed with you for this long."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't the first time we have joined him with a team. He usually left after a week. Something kept him here longer." Leo met Private's eyes, and an unspoken understanding travelled between them.

Leo looked at them again. "I have to go now."

The screen went blank. Rico looked at Skipper. "So he's a maverick?"

"You could say that."

"Didn't you call Rico that?" sniffed Private.

Skipper looked away. "Nathan is a whole new level of mavericks."

Wordlessly, the rest of the penguins quietly went to their own separate corner to read their message from Nathan. Unknowing to them, the rest of the zoo were now discovering a letter addressed to them from a penguin they had all grew to love.

* * *

**Yes, I know sad ending. I actually planned for this to be the last chapter, but then I thought that you readers would like to know what Nathan wrote to each of the penguins. That will be in the next chapter.**


	18. Letters

**Skipper**

Skipper waddled in one of their escape tunnels. He didn't care where he was or where he was going. After a few minutes of walking, he finally sat down and stared at the envelope in his flippers. When he couldn't take it any longer, Skipper ripped open the envelope and began to read.

_Dear Skipper,_

_ If you're reading this, then I cannot believe you actually miss me. I have to admit that I balked a little when I was about to write this. I didn't think that you would read this, but then I thought about everything we have gone through, and the words began to flow smoothly._

_ I suppose you're also wondering how I know how to write, as your mind never misses anything. That's a story for another day, however. I know you probably feel like strangling me right now, so I'll get to the point._

Unable to help it, Skipper chuckled a little at how well Nathan could read him although the penguin had only been here for a while. Skipper continued the letter.

_ That last sentence was written to make you laugh by the way. If you didn't then I guess I still don't know you. If you did, then I have a warning for you. You are an open book if someone gets past your tough outer layer._

_ Private once told me that he had described you as toast. I agree wholeheartedly with that definition. Sorry to say, but you are a real softie inside, Skipper. You'd probably glare daggers at me if you were here right now._

_ You are a great leader, Skipper, but don't be afraid to love or ease up sometimes. The whole world isn't plotting against you every time. Take good care of your team and the zoo for me. Private is probably taking the worst hit right now. Please that extra care of him for me as well._

_ That's all I have to say right now. You have a good team, Skipper. Don't make a wrong decision._

_Nathan_

**Kowalski**

Kowalski sat down in his lab with his back on the wall. He opened the envelope and began to read.

_Kowalski,_

_ I know that you are probably in your lab, Kowalski. I know I left a few loose ends in my absence. Could you please store them up for me when we meet again? Oh, yes. We're going to see each other again, don't worry. I can feel it in my gut._

Kowalski could swear he saw Nathan smirk as he read the letter. He felt a tear run down his beak, but he made no move to wipe it away. He had no idea how much Nathan had meant to him until the penguin was gone.

_ You are like a brother to me, Kowalski. I know that you are sad, but lift your chin up. The world isn't ending. As Skipper would say, push your shoulders back and look ahead. The sun is just rising._

_ Try not to make any more of your inventions explode. I know that one day, the whole world will know your name as the smartest penguin that had ever lived. Continue to keep the team up, Kowalski. Don't ever give up._

_ I know that this is short, but I'm not a very strong writer. Besides, tell the others that we'll meet each other again one day. I know you have a lot of questions, Kowalski, but I can't answer them right now. Smile, Kowalski, and stand up tall._

_Nathan_

**Rico**

Rico sat on the tree branch in the park, looking out at the lake and all the happy people and animals. If everybody was so happy, why did he feel so depressed? He stared down at the letter and began to read.

_Rico,_

_ It's about time you read this. Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting? Ah, never mind. I know you couldn't help it._

_ Have you exploded anything lately? I know you are down right now, but please don't stop all the things you like because of me. I know you sometimes don't feel like part of the team because of your inability to express yourself with words, but don't forget that you can always paint and write._

_ Try not to explode anything valuable or get into trouble while I'm gone. Continue to be yourself and stay happy! Lift your beak up, straighten your shoulders, and look up, soldier! There are people counting on you; don't let them down._

_Nathan_

Rico lifted up his head from the letter. He looked out at the world once more. Suddenly, the day didn't feel so bad.

**Private**

Private looked out at the sleeping zoo. Unknown to the others, he had slipped outside to be alone in his thoughts. Sitting on top of the clock tower, he appreciated the silence that followed. For once, the lemurs were not partying late into the night.

He clutched the letter tighter in his flippers. No matter how many times he read it, Private could not accept that Nathan had gone. Allowing the tears to run freely down his cheek once more, the young penguin read the message written by a penguin he had grown to love so much.

_To young Private,_

_ Hey, wipe away those tears. I don't want to see you cry. Look towards the horizon, Private. You see that sun rising up? Every time you see that, think of me. You see, where ever you are, we are always seeing the same sun and moon. Ask Kowalski if you don't believe me._

_ So turn that frown upside down, Private. I promise you that we will meet each other again. You have earned a special place in my heart that no one or thing can replace. Smile when you see people, Private. You might be __saving a life. _

_Stand strong, young penguin, and don't ever __stop believing. One day, I will see you again. Continue to keep the team's spirit up, __Private. __And don't you ever stop being yourself._

_Love,_

_Nathan_

**Nathan**

Nathan glanced back at the city of New York. He had grown to love some animals there, but it was time for him to move on. He shouldered his backpack and set off at a good pace. With a jump to each step, one might ask him why he was so happy.

To this, Nathan would always reply back the same way. "I'll be home again soon."

* * *

**A wrap up to the whole story. You can call it an**** epilogue if you want. What did you ****think ****of the whole story? Don't worry, I'm not ****going to leave you sad to see Nathan go. ****Nathan mentions in some of the letters ****that ****he is going to see them again. I plan ****on ****bringing him back in another story for t****hose ****of you who are sad to see him go. ****What do ****you think?**


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